JP2022071250A - Sheet processing apparatus, and image forming system including sheet processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: when a binding function of first binding means of binding at an end of a sheet bundle (hereinafter described as binding) fails, binding processing cannot be performed until the failure of the first binding means is repaired, which thus reduces the operating ratio of a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus; and when staples of the first binding means run out, the binding cannot also be performed until the stables of the first binding means are replenished, which thus reduces the operating ratio of the sheet processing apparatus and the image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus.SOLUTION: When first binding means fails or the first binding means runs out of staples and cannot perform binding processing, second binding means performs the binding processing in place of the first binding means to avoid a reduction in operating ratio of a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus due to the inability to perform the binding processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet processing device for binding and folding an integrated sheet bundle, which is used in an image forming device such as a copying machine and a laser beam printer, and an image forming system including the sheet processing device.

Conventionally, by receiving sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copier or a laser beam printer and accumulating them, the integrated sheet bundles are bound, saddle stitched, or folded in the middle. , Sheet processing devices for producing booklets are known.

For example, Patent Document 1 separately includes a first binding means (for example, a binding device) for binding a bundle of sheets and a second binding means (for example, a saddle stitching device for performing saddle stitching). In addition, it has a saddle-stitched portion that folds the central part of the sheet bundle, and the sheet bundle that has been saddle-stitched by the binding device is conveyed to the first loading tray, and the sheet bundle that has been saddle-stitched by the saddle-stitching device is transported. Disclosed is a sheet processing device that is transported to a second loading tray after being saddle-folded at the saddle-folded portion.

Patent Document 2 automatically disables only the failed function even if a non-continuable failure occurs in a part of the function of the image forming system provided with the sheet processing device, and the other functions remain enabled. Disclosed is a functional reduction system that improves the decrease in the operating rate by stopping the sheet processing device and the image forming system provided with the sheet processing device.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-11591 JP 2002-254781

When the first binding means (for example, a binding device) and the second binding means (for example, a middle binding device) are separately provided as in Patent Document 1, and the binding device fails when binding the sheet bundle. Even if the binding function is disabled as in Patent Document 2 and the sheet processing device and the image forming system provided with the sheet processing device are not stopped and other functions such as middle binding can be operated, the binding device Until the failure is repaired, the binding function cannot be used, and there is a problem that the operating rate of the sheet processing device and the image forming system provided with the sheet processing device is lowered. In addition, even if the needle of the binding device becomes needleless, the binding process cannot be performed until the needle is replaced, and the binding function cannot be used as in the case of failure. There was a problem that the operating rate of the image forming system provided with the above was lowered.

Therefore, the present invention presents the present invention by substituting the binding process with the second binding means when the binding becomes impossible, such as when the first binding means fails or when the first binding means does not have a needle. By making it possible to use the binding function without waiting for the user until the failure is repaired or the needle is replaced, the sheet processing device and the image forming system equipped with the sheet processing device can be operated. The purpose is to improve the decline in the rate.

In order to solve the above problems, the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention integrates a sheet transporting means for transporting sheets in a predetermined transport direction and sheets transported by the sheet transporting means to form a sheet bundle. The means, the first binding means for binding the sheet bundle formed by the first stacking means, the second stacking means for stacking the sheets transported by the sheet transporting means to form a sheet bundle, and the above-mentioned A second binding means for binding a sheet bundle formed by the second stacking means, a sheet bundle transporting means for transporting the sheet bundle formed by the second stacking means in a predetermined transport direction, and the second stacking means. A folding means having a folding roller arranged to face the second stacking means and rotating at a folding speed for folding the sheet bundle formed by the means in half, and a butt portion for pushing the sheet bundle into the folding roller. And, the thrust position recognition that recognizes the thrust position that changes the posture of the sheet bundle so that the sheet bundle that has been bound by the second binding means is pierced by the thrust portion and the sheet bundle is delivered to the folding roller without folding. The first binding means performs the binding process by the means, the binding process unrecognizable means for recognizing that the sheet bundle cannot be bound by the first binding means, and the binding process impossible recognition means. When it is recognized that the sheet cannot be applied, the sheet is not conveyed to the first accumulating means but is conveyed to the second accumulating means to perform a binding alternative process in which the sheet bundle is formed and then the binding process is performed. The sheet transporting means and the control means for controlling the second binding means are provided, and the control means moves the sheet bundle to the thrust position recognized by the thrust position recognition means when the binding substitution process is performed. The sheet bundle is conveyed by the sheet bundle conveying means, and the sheet bundle is transferred to the folding roller by poking the sheet bundle at the protrusion of the folding means, and the sheet bundle is conveyed without being folded.

Even if the binding process becomes impossible, such as when the first binding means fails or when the first binding means does not have a needle, the failure is repaired by substituting the binding process with the second binding method. The binding function can be used without waiting for the user until the needle is replaced or the needle is replaced, and the decrease in the operating rate of the image forming system equipped with the sheet processing device can be improved.

Explanatory drawing of the whole composition of the image formation system which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the whole structure of the sheet processing apparatus in the image formation system shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing which enlarges and shows a part of the sheet processing apparatus shown in FIG. The explanatory view which shows the sheet folding apparatus incorporated in the sheet processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 in detail. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of the middle folding unit of the sheet folding device of FIG. 4, and shows a state in which a veneer is arranged in a standby position. It is an enlarged view of the main part of the middle folding unit of the sheet folding device of FIG. 4, and shows the state that the veneer is moved to the operating position which pushes a sheet between a pair of folding rollers. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing an enlarged view of the first upper end pressing member of the sheet folding device of FIG. 4. An explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a control device of the image forming system shown in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure in the case of replacing the stitching process in the sheet folding apparatus of FIG. 4 with a saddle stitching apparatus. It is a schematic explanatory view which shows the processing process in the sheet folding apparatus of FIG. Shows. It is a schematic explanatory view which shows the processing process in the sheet folding apparatus of FIG. 4, and (f) to (i) show the process of binding the accumulated sheet bundle, moving to a folding position, and thrusting and transporting.

[Image formation system]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention and the image forming system including the same will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the attached drawings, the same or similar components are designated by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 shows an image forming system including a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention. The image forming system shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming device A and a sheet processing device B, and the sheet processing device B incorporates a sheet folding device C as a unit, and the image forming device C is incorporated in the sheet processing device B. The sheets image-formed by A are aligned and accumulated by the sheet processing device B, and the integrated sheet bundle is subjected to post-processing such as needle binding and center folding, and the first stack tray 21 or the second on the downstream side is subjected to post-processing. It is stored in the stack tray 22 of. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus A and the sheet processing apparatus B will be described in detail.

[Image forming device]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus A includes a paper feeding unit 2 and an image forming unit 3 in the housing 1, and feeds a sheet from the paper feeding unit 2 to the image forming unit 3. After the image forming unit 3 forms an image on the sheet, the sheet is carried out from the paper ejection port 4 of the main body.

In the illustrated embodiment, the paper feed unit 2 includes a plurality of cassettes 2a and 2b, and each of the cassettes 2a and 2b can store sheets of different standard sizes selected in advance. Further, a manual feed tray 2x is provided so that the user can insert a sheet according to the purpose of use. From the paper feed unit 2 having such a configuration, a sheet having a size, paper quality (coated paper, plain paper, etc.) and a thickness specified by using the control panel 15 described later is fed to the image forming unit 3.

The image forming unit 3 may be configured to form an image on the sheet sent from the paper feeding unit 2, and various image forming mechanisms can be adopted. In the illustrated embodiment, an electrostatic image forming mechanism is shown as the image forming unit 3. However, the image forming unit 3 is not limited to the electrostatic image forming mechanism shown in the figure, and an inkjet image forming mechanism, an offset type image forming mechanism, or the like can also be adopted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming unit 3 is provided with a light emitter (laser head or the like) 5, a photosensitive drum 6, a developing device 7, a transfer charger 8, and a fixing device 9. A latent image (still image) is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 6 by the light emitter 5, and toner ink is adhered by the developer 7. The ink image (toner ink) adhered on the photosensitive drum 6 is image-transferred to the sheet sent from the paper feed unit 2 by the transfer charger 8, and the image-transferred sheet is fixed by the fuser 9 and then fixed. , Is sent to the paper ejection path 10.

The image forming unit 3 is further provided with a circulation path 11 and a main body switchback path 12. The circulation path 11 and the main body switchback path 12 are paths for performing double-sided printing, and the sheet in which the image is fixed on the front surface side discharged from the fuser 9 is turned upside down via the main body switchback path 12. After that, double-sided printing is performed by transporting the image to the image forming unit 3 again by the circulation path 11 and printing on the back surface side of the sheet. The sheet printed on both sides in this way is ejected from the main body paper ejection port 4 after being turned upside down again in the main body switchback path 12.

An image reading unit 13 for reading an original image is provided on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus A configured in this way, and a document feeding unit 14 is mounted on the upper portion of the image reading unit 13. The image reading unit 13 includes a platen 13a made of transparent glass, a reading carriage 13b, and a photoelectric conversion element 13c, and scans and reads an image of a document sheet placed on the platen 13a with the reading carriage 13b. , It is converted into an electric signal by the photoelectric conversion element 13c. Further, the document feeding unit 14 includes the paper feed tray 14a, separates the document sheets placed on the paper feed tray 14a one by one, and automatically feeds them to the platen 13a of the image reading unit 13. It is configured in.

The image forming apparatus A is further provided with a control panel 15, an image data storage unit 16, and a buffer memory 17. Using the control panel 15, for example, sheet size, color printing / monochrome printing, number of prints, and so on. Image formation conditions such as single-sided printing / double-sided printing and enlargement / reduction printing can be set in the main body control unit 61, which will be described later. Further, the image data storage unit 16 stores the electric signal read by the image reading unit 13 and converted by the photoelectric conversion element 13c as image data. The image data storage unit 16 can also store image data transferred, for example, through a network. The image data stored in the image data storage unit 16 is transferred to the buffer memory 17, and is sequentially transferred from the buffer memory 17 to the light emitter 5.

From the control panel 15, in addition to the image formation conditions, sheet processing conditions can also be input and specified. As the sheet processing conditions, for example, "printout mode", "binding finish mode", "sheet bundle folding finish mode" and the like are set. These sheet processing conditions will be described later.

[Sheet processing device]
The sheet processing device B connected to the image forming device A has an overall configuration shown in FIG. 2 and an internal structure shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, with the device housing 20, the first paper ejection tray 21, and the second. The paper ejection tray 22 is provided, and the image-formed sheet ejected from the main body ejection port 4 of the image forming apparatus A is received, and (1) the sheet ejected from the main body ejection port 4 is subjected to sheet processing. It is stored in the first paper ejection tray 21 without any problems (“printout mode”), or (2) the sheets ejected from the main body paper ejection port 4 are aligned in a bundle and subjected to binding processing, and then the first is performed. It is stored in the paper ejection tray 21 of No. 1 (“binding finish mode”), or (3) the sheets ejected from the main body ejection port 4 are aligned in a bundle and then folded into a booklet to be ejected second. It is configured to be stored in the paper tray 22 (“sheet bundle folding finishing mode”).

Inside the device housing 20 of the sheet processing device B, a sheet carry-in path P1 extending in a substantially horizontal direction is provided between the carry-in port 23 and the paper ejection port 24. As shown in FIG. 1, the carry-in inlet 23 of the sheet carry-in route P1 is arranged so as to be connected to the main body paper discharge port 4 of the image forming apparatus A, and the sheet discharged from the main body paper discharge port 4 is carried in the sheet. It can be carried into the sheet processing device B via the path P1. Further, inside the apparatus housing 20, a first switchback transport path SP1 and a second switchback transport path SP2 that branch from the sheet carry-in path P1 and transfer the sheet in the reverse direction are provided, and the first switchback transport path SP2 is provided. The switchback transport path SP1 is arranged on the downstream side (rear end side of the device) of the seat carry-in path P1, and the second switchback transport path SP2 is arranged on the upstream side of the first switchback transport path SP1. There is. On the downstream side of the first switchback transport path SP2 extending from the paper ejection port 24 of the sheet carry-in route P1, the processing tray 30 is arranged below the paper ejection port 24 and the step, and the first downstream side thereof. The output tray 21 is connected. Further, a folding device C is arranged on the downstream side of the second switchback transport path SP2, and a second paper output tray 22 is connected to the downstream side thereof.

[Sheet delivery route]
In the sheet carry-in route P1, a carry-in roller 25 for transporting the sheet received from the carry-in inlet 23 toward the paper discharge port 24 and a sheet provided at the outlet end of the carry-in route P1 and carried out are discharged from the paper discharge port 24. A paper ejection roller 26 for paper is provided, and these rollers are driven by a drive motor (not shown) capable of forward / reverse rotation. Further, in the vicinity of the carry-in entrance 23 and the paper discharge port 24 of the sheet carry-in route P1, an inlet sensor S1 and a paper discharge sensor S2 for detecting the front end and / or the rear end of the sheet are provided, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, the carry-in roller 25 may be provided at a plurality of places along the sheet carry-in route P1.

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the sheet carry-in route P1 includes a route switching piece 27 that guides the sheet to the second switchback transfer path SP2 and a sheet that reaches the second switchback transfer path SP2. A buffer guide 28 that temporarily retains and holds the buffer guide 28 is further provided, and is driven by an operating means (not shown) such as a solenoid. Further, on the sheet carry-in route P1, a post-processing unit 29 for performing post-processing such as stamping (stamping means) and punching (drilling means) on the sheet is provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the post-processing unit 29 is arranged in the vicinity of the carry-in entrance 23 of the sheet carry-in path P1 so as to be detachable from the device housing 20 according to the device specifications.

[First switchback transport path]
The first switchback transport path SP1 provided on the downstream side of the sheet carry-in path P1 is configured as follows. The sheet carry-in route P1 is provided with a paper ejection roller 26 and a paper ejection port 24 at the outlet end thereof, and on the downstream side of the paper ejection port 24, a processing tray 30 is provided below the paper ejection port 24 at a step. It is provided. The processing tray 30 is composed of a tray for loading and supporting a plurality of sheets discharged from the paper ejection port 24.

As shown in FIG. 3, the processing tray 30 has a forward / reverse roller 31 arranged above the processing tray 30 as a transfer mechanism for transporting sheets on the processing tray 30, and a forward / reverse roller 31 on the processing tray 30. A driven roller 32 that cooperates with the forward / reverse roller 31 and a scraping rotating body 33 are provided.

The forward / reverse roller 31 and the driven roller 32 are provided near the front end portion of the processing tray 30 in the carry-out direction (the end portion on the first stack tray 21 side). The forward / reverse roller 31 is arranged above the processing tray 30 and has an operating position (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 3) in contact with the top sheet on the processing tray 30 and the top sheet on the processing tray 30. It is configured to be able to move up and down with and from the standby position (the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 3) separated from the standby position. Further, the forward / reverse rotation roller 31 and the driven roller 32 sandwich the sheet from above and below so that the roller body of the forward / reverse rotation roller 31 and the roller body of the driven roller 32 can convey the sheet when the forward / reverse rotation roller 31 is lowered to the operating position. Is located in.

When the sheet is brought into the processing tray 30, the forward / reverse roller 31 configured in this way moves to a receiving position (for example, a standby position) away from the processing tray 30 and is discharged from the paper ejection port 24. When the rear end in the traveling direction of the sheet reaches the processing tray 30, it is controlled to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 3 while descending to the operating position and in contact with the upper surface of the uppermost sheet on the processing tray 30. Will be done.

In the illustrated embodiment, the scraping rotating body 33 is composed of an endless belt hung between two pulleys so that one of the pulleys rotates together with the drive shaft 26x of the lower paper ejection roller 26. The other pulley is pivotally supported so as to hang down on the processing tray 30 around the central axis of the pulley coaxial with the drive shaft 26x. The scraping rotating body 33 engages with the upper surface of a new sheet conveyed onto the sheet at the uppermost position of the sheet bundle loaded on the treatment tray 30, and presses the tip of the sheet in the drawing. It rotates counterclockwise and feeds the sheet until it comes into contact with the regulating member 34 described later. This makes it possible to eliminate the curl and skew of the sheet that may occur while transporting the sheet onto the processing tray 30 to the regulating member 34. The scraping rotating body 33 is not limited to the belt, and may be configured by a paddle member, a roller, or the like.

At the rear end of the processing tray 30 in the paper ejection direction (the right end in FIG. 3), a regulating member 34 that regulates the position of the end of the sheet in the paper ejection direction and a first binding means (hereinafter, binding device) 35) is arranged. Here, the paper ejection direction in the processing tray 30 means the direction in which the sheet is ejected from the processing tray 30 toward the first paper ejection tray 21. In the present embodiment, the binding device 35 is composed of an end face binding stapler, and staples are placed at one or a plurality of positions at the rear end in the paper ejection direction (the right end in FIG. 3) of the sheet bundles accumulated on the processing tray 30. Perform binding. However, the binding device 35 is not limited to staplers and end face bindings that perform binding processing using staples. For example, the binding device 35 may be configured by a binding device that performs crimp binding. Further, in the present embodiment, the regulating member 34 includes a grip claw 34a for gripping the sheet bundle and a regulating surface 34b for restricting the rear end of the sheet by abutting against each other, and processes the bound sheet bundle. It is configured to be reciprocating in the paper ejection direction along the processing tray 30 so as to be able to carry out the function of carrying out to the first paper ejection tray 21 arranged on the downstream side of the tray 30. The regulating member 34 is connected to the drive arm 36, and the regulating member 34 can be reciprocated in the paper ejection direction along the processing tray 30 by swinging the drive arm 36 by the paper ejection motor M. It has become.

Further, the processing tray 30 is provided with a pair of side matching plates 37 that match the width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper ejection direction) of the sheets stacked on the processing tray 30. The seats are arranged against each other in the left-right direction (front-back direction in FIG. 3) so as to align the seats with respect to the center, and are configured to be able to approach and separate from the center of the seat.

In the first switchback transport path SP1 configured in this way, the sheet ejected from the paper ejection port 24 moves on the processing tray 30 toward the first paper ejection tray 21, and is rearward in the traveling direction of the sheet. The direction toward the first stack tray 21 (that is, the paper ejection direction) by the forward / reverse roller 31 that rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3 after the end is ejected from the paper ejection port 24 and reaches the processing tray 30. The switchback is conveyed toward the regulating member 34 in the opposite direction (hereinafter, also referred to as “carry-in direction”). At this time, the scraping rotating body 33 cooperates with the forward / reverse roller 31 to feed the sheet along the processing tray 30 until it comes into contact with the regulating member 34. In the "binding finish mode", the sheets fed onto the processing tray 30 are aligned on the processing tray 30 by aligning the sheets from the paper ejection port 24 on the processing tray 30, and the aligned sheet bundles are aligned at the trailing edge by the binding device 35. Staple bind one or more places. In the "printout mode", the sheet sent along the processing tray 30 is sandwiched between the forward / reverse roller 31 and the driven roller 32 without transporting the sheet from the paper ejection port 24 by switchback. It is carried out to the first paper ejection tray 21.

[Second switchback transport path and sheet folding device]
As shown in FIG. 1, the second switchback transport path SP2 branched from the sheet carry-in path P1 extends substantially in the vertical direction, and on the downstream side of the second switchback transport path SP2, A sheet folding device C is provided which collects sheets sent from the second switchback transport path SP2 in a part-aligned manner and performs saddle stitching processing and center folding processing. As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the sheet folding device C includes a stacking guide 38 and a second binding means (hereinafter referred to as a saddle stitching device 39) for saddle stitching the sheets stacked on the stacking guide 38. ) And a saddle-folding unit 40 that performs saddle-folding processing on the sheets accumulated in the integration guide 38. The integration guide 38 includes a seat loading tray 38a having a mounting surface 38d which is an upward dogleg-shaped inclined surface, a switchback path 38b, and an exit guide portion 38c. A discharge roller 41 and a discharge port 42 are provided at the outlet end of the second switchback transport path SP2, and a sheet loading tray 38a is provided on the downstream side of the discharge port 42 so as to be separated from the discharge port 42 by a step. Is placed. Further, the switchback path 38b is connected to the upper end side of the seat loading tray 38a. The sheet loading tray 38a is formed so as to have a length dimension capable of accommodating the maximum size sheet, and is configured so that the sheets discharged from the discharge port 40 can be sequentially loaded on the mounting surface 38d. ..

By the second switchback transport path SP2 and the integration guide 38 having such a configuration, the sheets discharged from the discharge port 40 are sequentially loaded on the mounting surface 38d of the sheet loading tray 38a of the integration guide 38.

The sheet loading tray 38a has a binding position X and a folding position Y. A saddle stitching device 39 is arranged at the binding position X as a processing unit for processing the sheet, and a saddle stitching device 39 is arranged at the folding position Y. The folding unit 40 is arranged. As the saddle stitching device 39, any saddle stitching device 39 can be used as long as the saddle stitching process can be performed, and as the saddle stitching device 39, for example, a staple binding device that performs the saddle stitching process using staples can be used. Since such a saddle stitching device 39 is known, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The middle folding unit 40 includes a pair of folding rollers 43 including a folding roller 43a and a folding roller 43b, a veneer 44 arranged to face the pair of folding rollers 43 with the sheet loading tray 38a interposed therebetween, and a pair of folding rollers. It includes a paper ejection roller pair 45 arranged on the downstream side of 43. The pair of folding rollers 43 are arranged at positions where the sheets loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a and the surfaces of the folding rollers 43a and 43b do not come into contact with each other. In the illustrated embodiment, the pair of folding rollers 43 are arranged. When one folding roller 43a is rotatably supported by the device housing 20 and urged toward the other folding roller 43b, and the sheet bundle is sandwiched between the pair of folding rollers 43a, 43b, the sheet is pressed. However, they can be brought close to each other according to the thickness of the sheet bundle. Further, the veneer 44 is supported on the veneer carrier 46 with its tip directed toward the pressure contact portion of the pair of folding rollers 43, and can move in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the sheet on the loading tray 38a. There is. The veneer carrier 46 is driven in a direction approaching and separating from the seat loading tray 38a by a carrier driving mechanism (not shown). As a result, the veneer 44 has a standby position in which the tip thereof does not protrude from the seat loading tray 38a and is separated from the seat loaded on the mounting surface 38d as shown in FIG. 5, and is shown in FIG. As such, the sheet loaded on the mounting surface 38d at the tip can be moved to and from the operating position where the sheet is pushed between the pair of folding rollers 43. Further, in the veneer 44, the lower side surface of the portion protruding from the mounting surface 38 when moved to the operating position is tapered toward the tip (that is, toward the pair of folding rollers 43) in a tapered shape. A guide surface 44a inclined so as to be formed is formed. As a result, when the upper end of the small-sized sheet comes into contact with the guide surface 44a of the protrusion 44 and is pressed against the guide surface 44a, the upper end of the small-sized sheet is smoothly guided between the pair of folding rollers 43.

An outlet guide portion 38c is provided at the folding position Y so as to be connected to the integrated guide 38, and the outlet guide portion 38 is provided on the sheet loading tray 38a as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. It is composed of opposed guide pieces narrowed so as to gradually bend the bundle of loaded sheets.

The sheet loading tray 38a has a lower end regulating member 47, a first upper end pressing member 48 arranged above the lower end regulating member 47 along the sheet loading tray 38a, and a first upper end holding member 48 along the sheet loading tray 38a. The second upper end pressing member 49 arranged above the upper end pressing member 48 and the side matching members 50 arranged on both sides in the width direction (front-rear direction in FIG. 4) of the sheet loading tray 38a are mounted on the mounting surface 38d. It is provided so as to protrude from.

As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the lower end restricting member 47 is composed of a channel member having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and has a restricting surface 47a inside which the lower end of the sheet is brought into contact. ing. Further, the lower end regulating member 47 is moved up and down along the seat loading tray 38a (specifically, the mounting surface 38d thereof) by the lower end regulating member driving mechanism 51, and is moved to the standby position, the large size sheet receiving position, and the small size sheet receiving position. You can move it. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower end regulating member drive mechanism 51 is composed of a pair of pulleys arranged near the upper end and the lower end of the movement range of the lower end regulating member 47, and a transmission belt wound around both pulleys. The lower end regulating member 47 is fixed on the transmission belt and is moved up and down by rotating the pulley on the drive side by the drive means so that the seat can be moved on the seat loading tray 38a. However, the lower end restricting member drive mechanism 51 is not limited as long as the lower end restricting member 47 can be raised and lowered along the seat loading tray 38a, and other drive mechanisms can also be used.

The lower end regulating member 47 configured in this way abuts the lower end of the sheet discharged from the discharge port 42 and descends along the sheet loading tray 38 with the regulation surface 47a to stop the position of the lower end of the sheet. It regulates and functions to move the seat on the mounting surface 38d by moving up and down along the seat loading tray 38a.

As shown in detail in FIG. 7, the first upper end pressing member 48 is composed of a channel member having a substantially U-shape, and is for contacting the upper ends of the small size sheet formed inside. A contact surface 48a, a cover portion 48b extending so as to cover the upper end of the small size sheet when the upper end of the small size sheet is brought into contact with the contact surface 48a, and a cover portion 48b formed and mounted on the discharge port 42 side. At the tip of the cover portion 48b so as to press the inclined surface 48c extending inclined away from the mounting surface 38d as it goes downward along the mounting surface 38d and the upper surface of the sheet loaded on the mounting surface 38d. It has a sheet-like flexible sheet pressing member 48d attached.

Further, the first upper end pressing member 48 is moved up and down along the seat loading tray 38a (specifically, its mounting surface 38d) by the first upper end pressing member drive mechanism 52, and is loaded on the mounting surface 38d. It is possible to move between the retracted position away from the upper end of the sheet and the pressing position abutting on the upper end of the sheet loaded on the mounting surface 38d. In the illustrated embodiment, the first upper end presser member drive mechanism 52 is a pair of pulleys arranged near the upper end and the lower end of the movement range of the first presser member 48, and a transmission wound around both pulleys. The first pressing member 48 is fixed on the transmission belt and is moved up and down by rotating the pulley on the driving side by the driving means, and the upper end of the seat loaded on the mounting surface 38d is formed by the belt. It is possible to contact and separate from the object. However, the first upper end presser member drive mechanism 52 is not limited as long as the first upper end presser member 48 can be moved up and down along the seat loading tray 38a, and other drive mechanisms can also be used. be.

The first upper end pressing member 48 configured in this way abuts on the upper end of the sheet of the first size (hereinafter, referred to as small size), and the lower end of the small size sheet is regulated by the lower end regulating member 47. By pressing against the surface 47a, the position of the small-sized sheet along the mounting surface 38d in the transport direction (that is, in the vertical direction) is aligned, and the lower end of the subsequent sheet is of the sheet loaded on the mounting surface 38d. It functions to prevent collision with the upper end.

The side matching member 50 is arranged so as to face the seat loading tray 38a in the width direction, and is configured to be able to reciprocate in the width direction of the seat loading tray 38a by a drive mechanism (not shown). In the present embodiment, the center position (the center position of the folding roller pair and the veneer) in the seat width direction of the seat loading tray 38a is set as the center reference position of the middle folding process. In the initial state, the side matching members 50 are respectively arranged at the initial positions set equidistant from the central reference position in the seat width direction, and when the seat is carried into the seat loading tray 38a, the drive mechanism causes the side matching member 50. From the initial position, the sheet is moved by a predetermined same distance corresponding to the width dimension of the sheet carried into the sheet loading tray 38a, and the sheets are aligned so that the center position in the width direction of the sheet matches the center reference position. After aligning the positions of the sheets in the width direction, the side alignment member 50 is returned to the initial position again.

The side matching member 50 configured in this way is brought into contact with both side portions in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the carry-in direction) of the sheet discharged from the discharge port 42 and carried into the sheet loading tray 38a in the width direction. It serves the function of aligning the positions.

When there are a plurality of sheets to be carried into the sheet loading tray 38a, as described above, the positions of the first sheet in the width direction are aligned, the side matching member 50 is returned to the initial position, and then the next sheet is carried. .. For the next sheet, the widthwise alignment operation of the sheet by the side alignment member 50 described above is repeatedly executed, and the side edges of the first sheet and the next sheet are aligned and overlapped. By repeating the sheet width direction matching operation each time a new sheet is carried in, a plurality of sheets can be aligned and integrated in a predetermined width direction position in the sheet loading tray 38a. The dimensions of the sheet discharged to the sheet loading tray 38a and to be post-processed are the post-processing control of the sheet processing device B described later from the main body control unit 61 of the image forming apparatus A together with the information regarding the post-processing to be applied to the sheet. It is transmitted to the unit 62 in advance.

[Control device]
Next, the configuration of the control device 60 of the image forming system described above will be described with reference to FIG.
The control device 60 of the image forming system includes a control unit (hereinafter referred to as “main body control unit”) 61 for controlling the image forming device A and a control unit (hereinafter referred to as “post-processing control unit”) for controlling the sheet bundle processing device B. It is described as.) 62.

The main body control unit 61 includes an image formation control unit 63, a paper feed control unit 64, and a control panel 15 as an input unit, and the control panel 15 sets "image formation mode" and "post-processing mode". It can be performed. In the image formation mode, it is possible to set the number of copies to be printed out, the sheet size, the sheet paper quality, color printing / monochrome printing, double-sided printing / single-sided printing, enlarged printing / reduced printing, and other image forming conditions. The main body control unit 61 controls the image formation control unit 63 and the paper feed control unit 64 according to the set image formation conditions to form an image on a predetermined sheet, and then sequentially ejects the sheets from the main body output port 4. Let me. Further, in the post-processing mode, for example, sheet processing conditions such as "printout mode", "binding finishing mode", and "sheet bundle folding finishing mode" can be set. In addition, when setting the "sheet bundle folding finish mode", it is possible to select with or without the insertion sheet. The main body control unit 61 forms a post-processing mode information such as a post-processing finishing mode and a binding mode (whether one-place binding or multiple binding at two or more places), the number of sheets, the sheet size, and the image in the post-processing control unit 62. Data such as sheet thickness information is transferred, and a job end signal is transferred to the post-processing control unit 62 each time image formation is completed. Further, the post-processing control unit 62 includes a second binding processable sheet size recognizing means and a second binding processable sheet bundle thickness recognizing means, which will be described later, and includes the number of sheet copies, the sheet size, and the sheet size transferred from the main body control unit 61. From the data such as the information of the paper thickness of the sheet bundle forming the image, it is determined whether or not the saddle stitching process can be replaced by the saddle stitching device 39 instead of the binding device 35.

The post-processing control unit 62 is composed of a control CPU connected to the ROM 65 and the RAM 66, and is based on the control program stored in the ROM 65 and the control data stored in the RAM 66 according to the designated post-processing mode. Then, the sheet processing device B is operated. Therefore, the post-processing control unit 62 carries in the sheet carrying path P1 so as to control the start, stop, forward / reverse rotation, speed, position management of the unit, and the like of each motor mounted on the seat processing device B. Roller 25, paper ejection roller 26, forward / reverse roller 31 for accumulating sheets in processing tray 30, regulatory member 34 of processing tray 30, binding device 35 of processing tray 30, middle binding device 39 of sheet folding device C, first. Discharge roller 41 of the switchback transport path SP2 of 2, the projecting plate carrier 46 of the center folding unit 40 of the sheet folding device C, a pair of folding rollers 43, a paper ejection roller pair 45, a drive mechanism of the side matching member 50, and a lower end regulation member drive. Drive circuits of each motor such as the mechanism 51, the first upper end presser member drive mechanism 52, and the second presser member drive mechanism 53 are connected. Further, the post-processing control unit 62 includes an integrated unit failure recognizing means and a binding unit failure recognizing means, and the post-processing control unit 62 has a failure of the processing tray 30 based on the operation information of the processing tray 30 and the binding device 35. Detection, failure detection of the binding device 35, and needleless detection of the binding device 35 are performed. For example, when it is detected that the binding device 35 has failed, it is determined whether or not the stitching process can be replaced by the saddle stitching device 39 instead of the binding device 35. Further, it is configured to receive detection signals from the inlet sensor S1 and the paper ejection sensor S2 arranged in the sheet carry-in route P1. In each post-processing mode, the post-processing control unit 62 controls the sheet processing apparatus B so as to execute the following processing operations.

[Printout mode]
In the printout mode, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents in order from, for example, the first page to the nth page, and sequentially carries them out from the main body output port 4. When the sheet processing device B detects that the tip of the sheet carried out from the image forming device A has reached the carry-in inlet 23 by the inlet sensor S1, the buffer guide 28 is moved to the upper position shown by the broken line in FIG. The sheet is retracted and the route switching piece 27 is moved to the lower position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, the sheet is sent to the sheet carry-in path P1, and the carry-in roller 25 and the paper discharge roller 26 are rotationally driven to carry in the sheet. The sheet is guided to the paper ejection roller 26 along the path P1. When the rear end of the sheet is detected by the paper ejection sensor S2 provided near the paper ejection port 24, the tip of the sheet is positioned at the position of the driven roller 32 of the processing tray 30 (that is, the position of the forward / reverse roller 31 in the operating position). After the estimated time to reach, the forward / reverse roller 31 comes into contact with the sheet on the processing tray 30 from the upper standby position (shown by the broken line in FIG. 3) (shown by the solid line in FIG. 3). The forward / reverse roller 31 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 3 by being lowered to the state). As a result, the sheet that has entered the processing tray 30 is carried out toward the first paper ejection tray 21 and stored on the first paper ejection tray 21. Similarly, the subsequent sheets are sequentially carried out toward the first output tray 21, and are deposited and stored on the first output tray 21.

As described above, in the printout mode, the sheets image-formed by the image forming apparatus A are stored in the first paper ejection tray 21 via the sheet carrying-in path P1 of the sheet processing apparatus B, and are sequentially loaded and stored upward. The Rukoto. In the printout mode, the sheet is not guided to the first switchback transport path SP1 and the second switchback transport path SP2 described above.

[Binding finish mode]
In the binding finishing mode, the sheet processing device B aligns the sheets carried out from the image forming device A in a bundle shape, and then performs a binding process to finish the sheets. Specifically, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents in order from the first page to the nth page, and sequentially carries them out from the main body ejection port 4, as in the case of the printout mode. When the sheet processing device B detects that the tip of the sheet carried out from the image forming device A in the traveling direction has reached the carry-in inlet 23 by the inlet sensor S1, the buffer guide 28 is shown above by a broken line in FIG. The sheet is sent to the sheet loading path P1 by retracting to the position of and moving the route switching piece 27 to the lower position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, and the loading roller 25 and the paper ejection roller 26 are rotationally driven. , Guided to the paper ejection roller 26 along the sheet carry-in route P1. Further, when it is detected that the tip of the sheet in the traveling direction reaches the carry-in inlet 23, the side matching plate 37 is located at the sheet receiving position sufficiently distant from the center reference position so as not to hinder the carrying of the sheet into the processing tray 30. And move the forward / reverse roller 31 to the standby position (the state shown by the broken line in FIG. 3).

Next, when the paper ejection sensor S2 provided near the paper ejection port 24 detects that the rear end of the sheet in the traveling direction has passed through the paper ejection roller 26, the post-processing control unit 62 detects the tip of the sheet in the traveling direction. After the estimated time to reach the position of the driven roller 32 of the processing tray 30 (that is, the position of the forward / reverse roller 31 in the operating position), the forward / reverse roller 31 is brought into contact with the sheet on the processing tray 30 from the upper standby position. It is lowered to the position (the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 3), the forward / reverse roller 31 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 3, and the rear end in the traveling direction of the sheet is expected to be carried onto the processing tray 30. After that, the forward / reverse roller 31 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by a predetermined amount, and the sheet is fed onto the processing tray 30 toward the regulating member 34. At this time, the scraping rotation resistance 33 is also rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3, and the sheet is conveyed until the front end in the traveling direction of the sheet abuts on the regulating member 34. The sheet discharged from the paper ejection port 24 in this way is switchback-transported on the processing tray 30 along the first switchback transport path SP1.

When the loading of the sheet into the processing tray 30 is stopped due to the contact of the sheet with the regulating member 34, the post-processing control unit 62 raises the forward / reverse roller 31 to the standby position and stops the sheet, and widths the sheet from the receiving position. The side matching plate 37 is moved toward the center reference so as to be sandwiched from both sides in the direction. The side matching plate 37 abuts each regulation surface on both side sides in the seat width direction (that is, two side sides facing in the width direction), and the separation distance between the two regulation surfaces matches the width dimension of the sheet. Can be moved to a position. As a result, each sheet is aligned so that the center in the width direction coincides with the center reference of the processing tray 30. The same operation is repeated until a predetermined number of sheets bound as one sheet bundle are aligned and accumulated on the processing tray 30.

When a predetermined number of sheets are aligned and accumulated on the processing tray 30, the post-processing control unit 62 drives the side matching plate 37 and the regulating member 34 to move the sheet bundle in which the sheets are integrated to the binding processing position. Move it. When the sheet bundle is positioned at the binding processing position, the post-processing control unit 62 sends a command signal to drive the binding device 35 to execute the binding processing. When the binding process is completed, the post-processing control unit 62 drives the forward / reverse roller 31 and the regulating member 34 to carry out the bound sheet bundle from the processing tray 30 to the first paper ejection tray 21.

[Sheet bundle folding finish mode]
In the sheet bundle folding finishing mode, the sheet processing apparatus B aligns the sheets carried out from the image forming apparatus A in a bundle shape and then finishes the sheets in a booklet shape. It is also possible to insert an insertion sheet that is smaller in size than other sheets. Specifically, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents in order from the first page to the nth page, and sequentially carries them out from the main body ejection port 4, as in the case of the printout mode. When the sheet processing device B detects that the tip of the sheet carried out from the image forming device A has reached the carry-in inlet 23 by the inlet sensor S1, the buffer guide 28 is moved to the upper position shown by the broken line in FIG. The sheet is fed to the sheet transport path P1 by retracting and moving the route switching piece 27 to the lower position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, and the carry-in roller 25 and the paper discharge roller 26 are rotationally driven to carry in the sheet. It is guided to the paper ejection roller 26 along the path P1. Next, the post-processing control unit 62 discharges the sheet at the timing when the rear end in the traveling direction of the sheet passes through the path switching piece 27, based on the signal emitted when the rear end in the traveling direction of the sheet is detected by the inlet sensor S1. At the same time as stopping the rotation of the paper roller 26, the path switching piece 27 is swiveled upward from the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 to the position shown by the broken line in FIG. Rotate counterclockwise in 3. As a result, the sheet that has entered the sheet carry-in path P1 is inverted in the transport direction, guided to the second switchback transport path SP2 by the path switching piece 27, and guided to the integration guide 38 of the sheet folding device C.

Similarly, the subsequent sheets are aligned on the integration guide 38 via the second switchback transport path SP2. Upon receiving the job end signal, the post-processing control unit 52 positions the sheet at the binding position X and operates the saddle stitching device 39 to perform staple binding processing at a plurality of locations (for example, two locations) in the center of the sheet bundle. After that, the center of the sheet is positioned at the folding position Y, the saddle-stitching process is performed by the saddle-stitching unit 40, and the sheet bundle bent into a booklet shape is controlled to be carried out to the second paper ejection tray 22.

[Control to replace binding with a saddle stitching device]
The control of substituting the saddle stitching device 39 with the saddle stitching device 39 is, for example, in the present specification, the binding process by the main binding device 35 cannot be performed due to a failure of the processing tray 30, the binding device 35, or the binding device 35 without a needle. In this case, the saddle stitching device 39 of the sheet folding device C is used to replace the binding process. Details will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Unless otherwise specified, the following operations are executed by the post-processing control unit 62.

At St1, information on the post-processing to be applied to the sheet is received together with information such as the sheet size transmitted from the main body control unit 61 of the image forming apparatus A to the post-processing control unit 62 of the sheet processing device B. Next, it is determined whether the binding mode is set by referring to the information regarding the post-processing applied to the sheet in St2. If it is not set, the alternative process is not performed and the process ends as it is. If it is set, the presence or absence of failure or needleless occurrence by the failure detection of the processing tray 30, the failure detection of the binding device 35, and the needleless detection of the binding device 35, which are the functions in the post-processing control unit 62, is performed by St3. To judge. If there is no failure, the alternative processing is not performed and the process ends as it is. If there is a failure, refer to the information (length, thickness in the transport direction) such as the sheet size received from the main body control unit 61 of the image forming apparatus A in St4, and replace it with the saddle stitching device 39 of the sheet folding device C. Judge whether it is possible (a judgment example will be described later). When the substitute is not possible, the post-processing control unit 62 transmits the non-binding information to the main body control unit 61 of the image forming apparatus A (St6). If it can be replaced, the saddle stitching device 39 of the sheet folding device C is used for the saddle stitching process (St5).

Next, the sheet stacking operation and the control up to binding and discharging when the saddle stitching device 39 of the sheet folding device C is substituted according to the above-mentioned conditions will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4, 10, and 11.

The post-processing control unit 62 moves the lower end regulating member 47 from the standby position (FIG. 10 (a)) at the lowermost portion of the seat loading tray 38a to the seat receiving position (FIG. 10 (b)). Based on the sheet size information transmitted from the main body control unit 61 to the post-processing control unit 62, the first upper end pressing member 48 is moved to the retracted position, and the side matching member 50 is moved to the seat receiving position.

When the lower end restricting member 47 is moved to the seat receiving position, as shown in FIG. 10B, the discharge roller 41 from the discharge port 42 to the seat loading tray 38a via the second switchback transport path SP2. The sheet is ejected.

When the discharged sheet is conveyed along the mounting surface 38d of the sheet loading tray 38a for the estimated time to reach the lower end regulating member 47 at the sheet receiving position, and the lower end of the sheet reaches the lower end regulating member 47, post-processing is performed. As shown in FIG. 10 (c), the control unit 62 moves the first upper end pressing member 48 from the retracted position to the pressing position along the mounting surface 38d, and the first upper end pressing member 48 of the first upper end pressing member 48. The contact surface 48a is brought into contact with the upper end of the sheet. As a result, the sheet is pressed against the lower end regulating member 47, and the positions in the transport direction (that is, the vertical direction) on the mounting surface 38d are aligned. At the same time, the side alignment member 50 is moved to a sheet alignment position where the separation distance of the regulation surface matches the width dimension of the sheet, and the regulation surface of the side alignment member 50 is brought into contact with the side surface in the width direction of the sheet. As a result, the seats are aligned so that the center in the width direction coincides with the center reference of the seat loading tray 38a.

When there is a subsequent sheet, the side matching member 50 is moved to the sheet receiving position so as not to interfere with the sheet loading, and the discharge roller 41 is moved from the discharge port 42 to the seat loading tray 38a via the second switchback transport path SP2. Will eject subsequent sheets. At this time, the first upper end pressing member 48 is arranged at the pressing position, and the contact surface 48a is brought into contact with the upper end of the sheet placed on the sheet loading tray 38a and placed on the sheet loading tray 38a. The state in which the upper end of the sheet is covered with the cover portion 48b is maintained.

As shown in FIG. 10D, when the sheet is transported for the expected time for the lower end (tip in the transport direction) of the subsequent sheet to pass through the first upper end pressing member 48, the post-processing control unit 62 As shown in FIG. 10 (e), moves the first upper end pressing member 48 from the pressing position to the retracted position, and after the lower end of the subsequent sheet reaches the lower end regulating member 47, the first The upper end pressing member 48 is moved to the pressing position again. At the same time, the side alignment member 50 is moved to a sheet alignment position where the separation distance of the regulation surface matches the width dimension of the sheet, and the regulation surface of the side alignment member 50 is brought into contact with the side surface in the width direction of the sheet. Such an operation is repeated until there are no subsequent sheets.

When the lower end of the subsequent sheet reaches the position of the upper end of the sheet placed on the sheet loading tray 38a, the contact surface 48a of the first upper end pressing member 48 hits the upper end of the sheet on which the first upper end holding member 48 is placed. Since the cover portion 48b (FIG. 7) covers the upper end of the sheet in contact with the sheet, the lower end of the subsequent sheet moves along the inclined surface 48c and gets over the upper end of the sheet placed on the sheet loading tray 38a. Can pass through. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lower end of the succeeding sheet from interfering with the upper end of the sheet placed on the sheet loading tray 38a, and the upper end of the sheet placed on the sheet loading tray 38a and the succeeding sheet. It is possible to prevent paper jams and sheet order changes due to interference with the lower end. Further, after the lower end of the subsequent sheet reaches the lower end regulating member 47, the first upper end pressing member 48 is moved to the retracted position and then moved to the pressing position again, and the side matching member 50 is moved from the sheet receiving position. Since the sheet is moved to the sheet alignment position, the sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a is aligned with the position in the transport direction and the position in the width direction.

When there are no more seats to follow, the post-processing control unit 62 moves the first upper end pressing member 48 from the pressing position to the retracted position, as shown in FIG. 11 (f). After the first upper end pressing member 48 has been retracted, the saddle stitching device 39 is operated, and the rear end portion of the sheet bundle is staple-stitched at a plurality of locations (for example, two locations), and then shown in FIG. 11 (g). As shown above, the rear end of the sheet bundle is positioned at the folding position Y by moving the lower end regulating member 47, and the binding sheet bundle is discharged.

Specifically, at the time of discharging the bound sheet bundle, first, the post-processing control unit 62 moves the veneer 44 from the standby position to the operating position as shown in FIG. 11 (h), and the sheet The rear end of the bundle of binding sheets loaded on the loading tray 38a is pushed between the pair of folding rollers 43 at the tip of the veneer 44. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11 (i), the lower end regulating member 47 is raised at the same speed as the transport speed of the pair of folding rollers 43 to assist the transport of the bound sheet bundle. Further, the veneer 44 is stopped at a position where the rear end of the binding sheet is pushed into the pair of folding rollers 43, and is used as a guide when the binding sheet bundle enters the folding roller 43. After passing through the nip positions of the pair of folding rollers 43, the binding sheet bundle is delivered to the paper ejection roller pair 45 and discharged to the second paper ejection tray 22.

In St4 of FIG. 9, whether or not the saddle stitching process can be replaced by the saddle stitching device 39 instead of the binding device 35 is determined as follows, for example.

The post-processing control unit 62 includes a second binding processable sheet size recognizing means, and a sheet size recognized by the second binding processable sheet size recognizing means is determined from data such as the sheet size transferred from the main body control unit 61. When it is recognized that the value is equal to or higher than the value, it is determined that the saddle stitching device 39 cannot perform the binding process instead of the binding device 35. This is because, for example, when the sheet size is longer than the veneer 44 from the lower end regulating member 47, the veneer 44 cannot be used as a guide when the veneer 44 is bound and the sheet bundle enters the folding roller 43 as described above.

Further, the post-processing control unit 62 is provided with a second binding processable sheet bundle thickness recognizing means, and the second binding processable sheet bundle thickness is obtained from data such as the paper thickness of the image-forming sheet bundle transferred from the main body control unit 61. When it is recognized that the paper thickness of the sheet bundle recognized by the recognizing means is equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is determined that the saddle stitching device 39 cannot perform the binding process instead of the binding device 35. This is because, for example, if the sheet bundles are accumulated in excess of the sheet bundle thickness that can be accumulated in the sheet loading tray 38a, there is a possibility that transport defects or the like may occur.

As described above, according to each of the above-described embodiments, even when the binding process cannot be performed, such as when the first binding means fails or when the first binding means does not have a needle, the second binding process cannot be performed. By substituting the binding process with the binding method, the binding function can be used without waiting for the user until the failure is repaired or the needle is replaced, and image formation equipped with a sheet processing device is provided. It is possible to improve the decrease in the operating rate of the system.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the present invention, and all the technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are the present invention. It is the subject of the invention. Although the embodiments so far have shown suitable examples, those skilled in the art can realize various alternative examples, modified examples, modified examples, or improved examples from the contents disclosed in the present specification. These are included in the technical scope set forth in the appended claims.

Claims (5)

A sheet transporting means that transports sheets in a predetermined transport direction, and
The first accumulating means for accumulating the sheets conveyed by the sheet conveying means to form a sheet bundle,
The first binding means for binding the sheet bundle formed by the first stacking means, and the first binding means.
A second stacking means for accumulating sheets transported by the sheet transporting means to form a sheet bundle,
A second binding means for binding a bundle of sheets formed by the second stacking means, and a second binding means.
A sheet bundle transporting means for transporting a sheet bundle formed by the second stacking means in a predetermined transport direction, and a sheet bundle transporting means.
In order to fold the sheet bundle formed by the second accumulating means in two, a folding roller arranged to face the second accumulating means and rotating at a folding speed, and a protrusion that pierces the sheet bundle so as to be pushed into the folding roller. With folding means and
A thrust position recognizing means for recognizing a thrust position that changes the posture of the sheet bundle so that the sheet bundle that has been bound by the second binding means is pierced by the thrust portion and the sheet bundle is delivered to the folding roller without folding. ,
The binding processing impossible recognition means for recognizing that the sheet bundle cannot be bound by the first binding means, and the binding processing impossible recognition means.
When it is recognized by the binding processing impossible recognition means that the first binding means cannot be bound, the sheet is not transported to the first stacking means but is transported to the second stacking means. The sheet transporting means and the control means for controlling the second binding means are provided in order to carry out a binding alternative process in which the binding process is performed after the sheet bundle is formed.
The control means is
When the binding substitution process is performed, the sheet bundle is conveyed to the thrust position recognized by the thrust position recognizing means by the sheet bundle transport means, and the sheet bundle is pierced by the thrust portion of the folding means to pierce the sheet bundle. A sheet processing device characterized by changing the posture of delivery to a folding roller and transporting a bundle of sheets without folding. An integrated unit failure recognition means for recognizing that the first integration means has failed,
The binding unit failure recognition means for recognizing that the first binding means has failed, and the binding unit failure recognition means.
Equipped with
The binding processing impossible recognition means is
When the integrated unit failure recognizing means recognizes that the first integrated means has failed, or the binding unit failure recognizing means recognizes that the first binding means has failed, the first binding means. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is recognized that the sheet bundle cannot be bound by means. The first binding means is provided with a needleless recognition means for recognizing that the remaining amount of needles is exhausted.
The binding processing impossible recognition means is
When it is recognized by the needleless recognition means that the remaining amount of needles of the first binding means has been exhausted, it is recognized that the sheet bundle cannot be bound by the first binding means. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1. A second binding processable sheet size recognition means that recognizes the size in the sheet transport direction that can be bound by the second binding means, and
A second binding processable sheet bundle thickness recognizing means for recognizing a sheet bundle thickness that can be bound by the second binding means is provided.
The control means is
If it is not determined that the binding process can be performed by the second binding processable sheet size recognizing means, or if it is not determined that the binding process can be performed by the second binding processable sheet bundle thickness recognizing means, the binding process is performed. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 to 3, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is controlled so as not to perform alternative processing. An image forming device that forms an image on a sheet,
An image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1.

Images